Taking a summer to serve with Center for Student Missions was the best 3 months of my life. It was also one of the hardest, most challenging experiences ever! But I would not trade it for anything. Those 3 months shaped me.

It introduced me to these incredible people. They challenged me in big ways. They showed me what a life sold out looks like. We learned how to work as a team, in all our weaknesses and strengths. We learned what it meant to become a family. We learned how to impact lives together. We learned how to find truth. We learned how to hold each other accountable. We learned. And we were never alone.

We got to go on a journey together as a community. It was an incredible experience to see the church as it should be. We explored Scripture. We had fun together. We supported each other.

It was a hard road. There were groups that came in and had their perspective changed. There were people that we met that became names, faces, stories and impacts on our lives.

At the end of the summer we all went our separate ways with the attempt to continue on the track we had this summer. It’s a ride. The kind of ride that catches you off guard at the craziest times.

It is the kind of ride that makes you cry during class months later. It’s the kind of ride that makes you notice people that you looked past before. It’s the kind of ride that makes you fall more in love with Jesus. It’s the kind of ride you never want to get off of.

And it’s the kind of ride you should go on.

Consider serving with CSM this year. Apply now to be a summer host or sign up to take a group! www.csm.org

I realized today that I am really anxious for February to come. Not for Groundhog’s Day, because honestly I don’t care about my birthday or turning 21. Not for Valentine’s Day, because I have never understood or liked that holiday. Not for President’s Day, because I am ignorant and don’t really know what Pres. we celebrate or way (lincoln and wash maybe?) but for CSM. I want an answer. I just want to know what the next step is for me.

I’m not anxious in a worry kind of way. I am anxious in an excited way. I really need an opportunity like this. My heart is ready to be away from all that is familiar, and I love the things and people that are familiar but for me to step into the next phase of my life that God has planned for me I must learn to grow independently and rely on Him and learn to care for myself. I have had good training and if I got lost in the wooded jungle could survive….for a night. The point is, that for a long time I knew God wanted all of me and that He still has a plan for me and that it will require great sacrifice.

This summer is just the start of that for me. It’s scary as I realize by accepting and acknowledging that He wants me I am opening myself up to no limits of where I could be in 1 year. And I’m cool with that. But for now, I would like to know where I will be this summer. 🙂 Because I’m excited and ready and just want to know. I have no back up plan ha ha hope that is truly faith and not ignorance. So I’m anxious excited for February to get here. Just gonna glide through the next couple of months and wait for it ok 🙂

And I leave you with this stepping stone…and internship. It was almost like a real job. I learned a lot (I just wrote a 6 page paper about it so I’m kinda over sharing) 🙂 sorry! I look at my portfolio and there is a lot more in there than I originally expected, which is helpful.

This picture was from the Bartender’s Charity Ball. I was not allowed past the Christmas Tree 🙂

I’m on here. i read up on all ya’lls blogs. i contemplate which post that is floating around in my brain should be posted. i couldn’t decide so instead you get little random tidbits, which i know Chepanef will still enjoy at least.

I make excuses. My favorite one is “I don’t work out because it hurts my back, but my back hurts more because I don’t work out”

I’m terrible at Macroeconomics. like i mean terrible. it’s almost humorous how bad I am at it. my gpa does not think it’s funny, but it kinda is.

I am excited to move off campus, I think it will improve my showering habits (ha ha ha), my diet, and about a million other things. so excited to possibly live with my two best friends down here!

I skipped my first classes for a true skip this week. I was not going to learn anything and didn’t feel good, so I slept 🙂 it was marvelous

Today (and tomorrow) my boss and I are burning the edges of paper at work in a spurt of craftiness for an upcoming event.

My poor roommate and i have been trying to decorate our baby christmas tree all week. i think we may do it now….yes we…bye, I’m busy gotta listen to christmas tunes and decorate a tree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Overall, a great paper here. You do a nice job of integrating language, artifacts, and behaviors together to create a unified paper.” 100/100

And yes I am proud of that. She is hard, I worked hard. Whew. Only one more paper to write for her.

And now I must power old computercrap (that’s his name) down to pack him away for the weekend. We are headed to Joplin for Special Olypmics State Indoor Tournament. I’m a little nervous. I have only been to Joplin on my own one time and I still was not all by myself. And my immediate boss won’t be there. So, I’m a little nervous about the whole weekend, but it’s part of growing up and I’m ready and willing to try. I have to stay in a hotel too all weekend. And then Sunday when I get back I go help with the junior highers. Then I come home to my little bed and crash. Wake up for two days of class then to the Villa for Thanksgiving.

Will return with stories.

Jo Jo “The H’ville Horror” Glazed Donut as my name tag will read this weekend if my boss had a say. Thankfully he doesn’t.

In my little paragraph from my site supervisor, my only real requirements for my internship are to be professional and on time. well, you see today i really wanted to not wear heels and i don’t really have any flats so i was left with these……

Yup. you read correctly. i am interning with the special olympics as most of you know and today my boss informs me we have another event for raffle tickets. well i smile politely and say ok when secretly i am hating the idea already because raffle tickets suck! then he tells me where it is…hooters…yup, that hooters. he is like, ya it worked in columbia so we are going to try it, you ever been there? i say uh no you. and he has no. so two hooters noobs are going to walk in on biker night and sell tickets! in COMO the hooters girls are doing the selling and they SO people just sit at a table and answer additional questions.

our guy says the girls get busy on bike night so we might have to some of the selling. ha! so he was like “well looks like you get to work on your sales pitch” making fun of me because when we worked the HS football game i got shy all of a sudden but once he went away i sold 5. ha ha ha. so hooters here i come! and i’m gonna sell these stupid tickets so i don’t have to sell anymore! so bikers bring your 5 dollars 🙂

i think it is a grand idea. i mean ya i would have never done it with unveiled but that a whole different thing. we couldn’t do it with unveiled b/c some would think we were telling girls they should wear spandex and be super friendly to be successful….but shoot with the SO money is money and we are raising some. bikers love SO just as much as bankers. and if carlos can take Jesus to the bars (go read about it if you’re clueless) then we can take the SO to Hooters..and who knows maybe someone will want a ride to church.